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Commentary
Mosaic Magazine

What America Should Do Next in the Middle East

Michael Doran and Peter Rough on Obama's Foreign Policy

michael_doran
michael_doran
Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East
peter_rough
peter_rough
Senior Fellow and Director, Center on Europe and Eurasia
Armored combat vehicles belonging to Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units, August 31, 2017 (AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images)
Caption
Armored combat vehicles belonging to Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units, August 31, 2017 (AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images)

**The policies of the Obama administration led to carnage in Syria, regional chaos, and the rise of Iran and its alliance with Russia. Can the momentum be reversed—without going to war?**

p(firstLetter). During last year’s presidential campaign, Donald Trump promised to do a great deal more in the Middle East than his immediate predecessors, but with much less. That is, he would achieve significantly more than Barack Obama at a much smaller sacrifice of blood and treasure than was incurred under George W. Bush. This he would accomplish by defining American interests sharply and pursuing them aggressively, not to say ruthlessly. The result would be a global restoration of American credibility and, as Trump never ceased to remind voters, renewed global respect.

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